Brian Kelly and his team have proven their recruiting prowess by building consecutive top-10 classes in his first two years at LSU.
That includes the addition of five-star defensive lineman Dominique McKinley, the state's No. 1 player in the class of 2024, On3 top-50 prospect Gabriel Reliford and four-star EDGE C.J. Jackson. The Tigers are looking to replenish their front line again in 2025, but as of now, no defensive linemen have been finalized.
According to the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM), he is currently trending towards three of his top targets at the DL and EDGE spots.
4 Star EDGE Damien Shanklin
School: Warren Central, Indianapolis, Indiana
On3 Industry Ranking: 85th
On-3 RPM: LSU 70.9%, Notre Dame 21.6%
Update: “Damien Shanklin of On300 EDGE was also at the spring game and has a new projection in LSU's favor. The Tigers will have to hold off teams like Alabama, Ohio State and Tennessee, but they'll win early.” — Steve Wiltfong, On3 vice president of recruiting (June 3)
4-star DL Zion Williams
School: Lufkin, Texas
On3 Industry Ranking: #359
On 3 RPM: LSU 95.4%, Texas 2.5%
Update: “We have a good feeling about the Tigers' official visit (as we reported this morning). With his signing date set for July 4th, the Tigers are in a great position. Zion Williams is comfortable with his relationship with Beau Davis, which goes all the way back to Texas. He's open to the rest of the visit, but we predict he'll commit to LSU. If he announces today, we have a very good feeling about it. He'll have to get through the visit, but reliable sources say Texas will have a hard time overcoming LSU's lead.” — Billy Embody, BengalTiger.com Insider (June 3)
4-star DL Brandon Brown – Committed to the University of Texas
School: Melbourne, Florida, Eau Gallie
On3 Industry Ranking: #331
On 3 RPM: LSU 92.0%, Texas 1.2%
Update: “Eau Gallie defensive tackle Brandon Brown of Melbourne, Fla., completed a return visit to Baton Rouge this weekend and was projected by me in the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine to be LSU over Texas' commitment. He completed his official visit to LSU on Sunday, a visit that garnered a lot of attention. Brown and his mother visited LSU for the spring game, this time spending more time with the coaching staff in a more family atmosphere.” — Billy Embody, BengalTiger.com Insider (June 3)
